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Bajaj launches XCD 135cc DTS-Si

As you read, Rajiv Bajaj unwrap the covers of the much expected XCD 135cc. XCD 135cc DTS-Si comes with 10.5bhp engine and a 5-speed gearbox. Similar to other Bajaj bikes, XCD 135cc DTS-Si also hosts a lists of styling and comfort features. Auto choke, gas-filled Nitrox shock absorbers, digital speedometer, electric-start, front disc-brake and LED tail lamps are usable features in the new XCD 135cc DTS-Si. The jaw dropping style of the bike and its long feature of XCD 135cc DTS-Si is set to rock the market.

Only the press release is issued the launch is postponed to afternoon…so please bear with us

Update: XCD DTS-Si 135cc engine pumps out 10.2PS of peak power at 7500rpm and a maximum torque of 11.58Nm at 5000rpm. Also XCD 135cc DTS-Si comes with a longer wheelbase of 1275mm.XCD 135cc DTS-Si will be available in five colours

Pictures of Bajaj XCD 135cc DTS-Si

Fiat Linea Review

Fiat Linea Pictorial Review – interiors

Fiat Linea: Inside the linea,your excitement will hit new heights. Look at the shapes of the driver glass front quarter glass and A-pillar. I wonder how production engineers make this kind of paperart into production. On your face dual tone dashboard looks good but the wow factor is missing.

Interior Pictures of Fiat Linea

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Fiat Linea: The ergonomics has never been Fiat’s forte. but this linea is an exception. The ergonomics may not be the best in its class but good. The central console is legibly placed and controls are accesible. The steeply rakish windscreen and useless front quarter glass hampers you from getting the clear view. But the height adjustable driver seat and tilt steering helps you to find comfortable seating position. Also the driver facing ignition scoket is quite an usable feature.

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Fiat Linea: The suspension offers absorbs shocks and vibrations with ease, however the movement of body parts and diesel clatter makes the cabin distrubed. Also the seats which hugs you and offers good underthigh support is stiff and long journey is sure to develop fatigue. A three at the back seat of the linea is not a bad idea. Linea has enough leg room and shoulder room to accomodate three adults. A 500L boot space is a boon espescially for weekend drives.

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Fiat Linea: Fit and Finish of linea is a mixed bag it scores at some point and it fails at few points. Bad things first, glove boxes needs atleast three attempts to shut. Also the bonnet lever is loosely fitted and tends to break. However doors shut with perfect thud. The arm rest,steering and door levers portrays the superior quality.

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Fiat Linea: ABS with EBD, twin airbags, A/C vents for rear passenger, programmable Follow me home headlamps, head rest for all passenger,alloy wheels, steering mounted audio control and the voice command Blue and ME system makes the Linea a value for money product.White back lit Instrumentation is simple and legible. Digital odo,digital real time mileage indicator and digital door open indicator which tells you (really a nice option to have).

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Fiat Linea: comes in as many five variants – active,dynamic,dynamic PK, emotion and emotion PK. Pricing starts from Rs5,98,967 and goes upto Rs8,10,004. Fiat ensures a car for everyone who enters the showroom. Considering the features Linea have, the price is very attractive.

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Verdict: Has Fiat come up with a product that can revive its glory and sell even in this downturn?? Linea is a complete package and the Multijet diesel is sure pull customers of SX4 and new city. Also Linea is very attractively priced and a VFM product. Linea has tons of practical features. Yet, we have few concerns too.. the interiors are staid and boring, quality of few parts could have been better and finally the ASS (After Sales Support) which we will come to know in few months. For the moment, welcome the style on wheels with open hands and admire her.

Fiat Linea Test Drive

Fiat Linea Pictorial Review – exteriors

A true leader is not who never losses but who has the ability to come back strongly after the loss. Fiat wants to be a leader. Fiat who once ruled the market now struggling to revive its glory. To make a mark again in India, Fiat has reorganised and overhauled its India operations. It tied up with Tata Motors for joint distribution and manufacturing of cars. Last year it promised exciting cars for the Indian market. In 2008, Fiat launched 500 cinquecento. Fiat kickstarts 2009 with linea, while the former is just a brand buliding exercise, this launch is siginificant and litmus test for fiat. Let’s check out Fiat’s new linea, can it turnaround the fortune for Fiat India???

Fiat Linea: This is not a car you will come across everyday. Linea is special, this kind of styling you won’t find any other car. The ferrari maker has done what it is best known for. It’s true that linea is nothing but flowing lines. Every where there is eye catching curved shapes, you can’t find a rectangular structure. Every forms and shapes excites you, nothing you would have seen before.

Pictures of Fiat linea

Fiat Linea: The design is unmistakably italian, parabolic drop like headlamps nicely sits on the sides of the masculine larger chrome grille. Rakish windscreen and bonnet are homogeneous thus dynamism is ensured even when the car is standstill. The 15″ alloy wheels, chunky rear view mirrors and flared up wheel arches gives a sleek side profile for the linea. The rear is simple and uncluttered. Look the linea from any angle, it cool. Admiration guaranteed.

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Fiat Linea: Linea comes with two engine options. 1.4L Petrol engine is a Fiat’s popular Fully integrated robotised engine’ (FIRE) unit oozing out max power of 90PS and 115Nm of max torque at 4500rpm. Our test drive car is a diesel one and under the hood it has the most successful award winning 1.3-litre 16v MultiJet diesel. Fiat has put in VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) and tuned up the engine for more power. Multijet diesel generates 86PS of peak power at 4000rpm and 203Nm of peak torque at 2500rpm.

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Fiat Linea: Switch on the ignition, you know whether its a diesel or a petrol. But as start flooring the accelerator you can listen the diesel clatter that creeps into the cabin. But on the performance front, this multijet is a gem, it is perky and loves to be revived. There is no discern-able turbo lag. Light gearbox offers precise shift and linea is most driveable in the city. Out on the highway the things change otherwise. While the 120kmph comes quicker, the needles struggles to move after that. The engine turns noisy at higher speeds. However the multijet again proves its frugal character, even while towing 1200kg linea it returns a mileage of 14kmpl.

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Fiat Linea: Though the steering is not light, it is responsive. Linea’s Mcpherson strut and non independent torison beam suspension set up makes it a impressive handler. Throw her into a corner at high speed, turn the wheel still it goes in the intended direction. 195/60 tyres offers impressive grip and brakes delivers a decent bite.

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Fiat Linea: Linea is available in four colours – flamenco red, minimal grey, parla champagne and hip hop black. Thankfully we got the hip hop black linea for our test drive. It is gorgeous and the black colour gives a premium feel. If you are going to book a linea, do have a look at the hip hop black.

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Tata Motors Assured pre-owned car programme

Tata Motors has started its pre-owned car programme, ‘Tata Motors Assured’ launched on a pilot basis through 15 dealers in 10 major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Vapi across India.The programme will be subsequently offered across the country through the Tata Motors dealer network in a phased manner.

“Tata Motors Assured’ pre-owned car programme has been conceived to provide convenience of a one-stop solution to customers willing to exchange their existing cars for new Tata cars. Besides, it also offers an array of reliable and high quality certified pre-owned Tata cars which will come with one year/ 20000 km extended warranty and three free services,” said S Krishnan, vice-president -commercial, passenger car business unit, Tata Motors.

Under this programme, ‘Tata Motors Assured’ the customer will be able to get reliable and certified pre-owned Tata cars and this cars will be refurbished in Tata Motors authorised dealer’s workshops using standard quality check,Tata genuine spares by skilled and trained technicians and come with certification from ‘Tata Motors Assured’.

The certified cars will be less than 5 years old, non accidental and with not more than two owners. ‘Tata Motors Assured’ certified pre-owned cars will come with a 1 year/ 20000 km extended warranty.
Also, three free services will be offered to customers as a part of the certification package.Customers could get the safe option of buying and selling Tata cars and UVs at ‘Tata Motors Assured’ dealerships.

Ducati showroom in Mumbai

Italian bike makers Ducati Motor Holding will launch its exclusive showroom in Mumbai by this summer. Ducati CEO and President Gabriele Del Torchio said after Mumbai, showrooms would expect to show up their presence in metros like Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the next twelve months. Ducati’s motorcycles which are inspired by unique engine features, innovative design and advanced engineering with overall technical excellence made it to sold 45,000 bikes globally and it has been a good year for it, Gabriele Del Torchio said.He added Ducati’s motorbikes have a good place among the motorcycle enthusiasts and the company had already started its bookings.
Ducati motorcycles are the soul of distinctive Italian style and design. The motorcycles are typical, functional and striking, and are all created with twin engine and tubular frame. Gabriele Del Torchio said India will not be a major market for Ducati now. But it will be five years from now”.

The Ducati’s motorcycles makes sure to hit the Indian auto market by its elegant feature and racing speed technology.

Ultra Motors announces cash back offer

The Ultra Motor Company (UMC), a global electric vehicle company based in UK, which is famous for DC motors, has announced an ‘Assured Cash Back’ promotion scheme in Delhi NCR. Under this promotion scheme, the consumers have a chance to win a ‘Cash Back’ reward of up to Rs. 5001/- under scratch card process. The Cash Back will be adjusted on the ex-showroom price of the Ultra Motor Electric Scooter purchased. This scheme starts from a minimum of Rs. 1001/-, Rs. 2001/-, Rs 3001/- and a maximum of Rs. 5001. This promotional scheme exists up to 31st January 2009.

The Delhi State Government, decides to the decrease air pollution levels and to promote the use of Electric Vehicles as a clean mode of transportation, has announced a subsidy on Electric Two Wheelers – 15% of the base price of Electric Vehicles along with a waiver of 12.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on the vehicles. This reduces the overall cost of the Electric Two Wheelers by approximately 24%.

Ultra Motor has decided to pass on this subsidy, thus making the electric scooters more affordable for the common man. Velociti, the high speed electric scooter from Ultra Motor, for Rs. 29,119/-and Marathon, the electric scooter with High Range, for Rs. 25,025/-. The ‘Assured Cash Back Scheme’ announced by UMC, will further boost up the sale of Electric Two Wheelers, thereby pushing the cause of clean, green & pollution free transport in the Delhi NCR region.

The Managing Director of Ultra Motor India, Mr. Ganesh Mahalingam said, “Post the subsidy, UMC has got a good response from the market. We would like to be the leaders in the category & strengthen our hold in Delhi NCR. We would like to thank the Delhi Government for its support towards the Electric Two Wheeler category by extending a subsidy towards the clean and economical mode of transportation. Through this ‘Assured Cash Back’ scheme, we want to offer more value and an even more attractive price proposition to our customers. The consumers who are planning to buy an electric two wheeler will stand to benefit from this scheme.”

The desirable features of Marathon comes with a 250 watt motor and a powerful 48V/24AH SLA battery that delivers a high range of 85 km and it gets power packed with Magnetic Anti Theft Lock System, Spacious under seat cover, Front Telescopic Suspension & Mechanical Odometer with two attractive colours Charcoal Grey and Navy Blue.
The Velociti, an extra speed popular scooter is based on the Impulse Inertia Technology that gives a speed of 40 km/h. The powerful motor of 500 watts delivers a peak motor output of 1000 watts and a range of 50 km per charge. Velociti has a powerful 48V/24AH Sealed Lead Acid battery, hydraulic disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear wheel, and is supported by the telescopic suspension system and it was nominated for the coveted Overdrive – Best Scooter Award ’07, last year.

BMW launches new 7-series in India

BMW today launched all new 7-series in India. The new BMW 7 Series portfolio in India will consist of three models – 730Ld, 740Li and the 750Li. The 750Li will be available from January 2009 and the 740Li and 750Li 730Ld will be available from mid 2009 in the Indian Market. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India said, “The arrival of the new BMW 7 Series marks the beginning of a new era in automobile design. Pioneering Innovations, Stylish Design, Luxurious Comfort, and Elegant Functionality of the all-new BMW 7 Series offers a superior driving experience quite unlike anything else in the luxury class. Our objective is to turn the fifth generation of the 7 Series into the most successful one of all time.” The ex-showroom price of 750Li across India is Rs. 93,30,000 (Ex-showroom price excludes RTO registration charges, tax, insurance, handling charges; Octroi and entry tax if applicable). The 750Li will be available in a range of eight paint finishes and eight upholstery designs.

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Vicky.in at DNAIndia

One of India’s leading dailies DNA India carried an article on How automakers use web for promotions of their product? The report clearly portrays how your voice influences decisions of car and bike makers in India.

Excerpts from DNA

“Naveen Ravindran from Interactive Interface says, “Monitoring the Web is the key. We scan the Web with various specialty tools everyday and have to go through a very complex process to understand where and what masses are speaking the most, and then decide on ways to communicate.”

Karthi Annamalai says, “Toyota and Maruti Suzuki also used this space extensively to create a pre-launch hype for Corolla and A-star, respectively. Apart from actively pursuing bloggers, M&M also tracked the comments that readers posted on our blogs. The intention was to understand the consumer psyche and incorporate their suggestions to improve the vehicle in the future.”

At his website, www.vicky.in, a separate category for Xylo comprising of 30 blog posts was created. “Within an hour we received tremendous response, the traffic was so high that we had to optimise the server to support the traffic.” ”

To read the complete article visit http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1222664
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What wikipedia tells about DNA

Daily News and Analysis (DNA) is a daily English newspaper published from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Jaipur and Bangalore in India. Launched on July 30, 2005, targeted at a young readership, DNA is India’s fastest growing English newspaper. In April 2008, the Indian Readership Survey(IRS) Round I determined DNA’s readership to be 676,000 ranking DNA 8th amongst the Top Ten English Dailies in India. DNA, Mumbai is the second most read English broadsheet in the city of Mumbai

TVS Scooty Streak Pictures

You read it first at vicky.in

It is always our desire to bring you information first before anyone. 19th January is so special not just because it’s the day on which one of our founder born. To celebrate it, we reveal you first pictures of TVS new scooter – Scooty Streak. We first informed about the TVS Scooty streak . TVS Scooty Streak comes with a razor sharp, sleek unisex styling features sharp head lamps and LED tail-lamps. According to TVS “the new LiTech engine makes the Scooty Streak light, zippy and the most fuel efficient bike in its class” . TVS new scooty streak also comes loaded with host of innovative features such ass high-comfort contoured seat and the all aluminium shock absorbers that provide stress free riding even on bad roads. Scooty streak also comes with broad anti-skid tyres that provide enhanced wet braking stability and is equipped with an external fuel fill at the rear for refueling. Mobile charger and a lockable front glove box are the other usable features in the new scooty streak. TVS Scooty Streak will be available in a range of five exciting colours including red, blue, black, pink and mauve.TVS Scooty Streak is priced at Rs. 35,800 ex-showroom and will be made available across India starting January 2009.

Pictures of Scooty streak

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